


If He's a Tramp (He's a Good One)

by maybemalapert (laconicisms)



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: An omelette gets stabbed, Anything can be turned into a euphemism for sex Chloe, CW for past groping (by OMC), Could be considered AU-ish, F/M, Fluff, Only mild spoilers for season 2, Plot What Plot, The Devil goes to Disneyland, This was supposed to be 2k I don't know what happened, Timeline What Timeline, Trixie takes charge, also
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-05
Updated: 2017-04-05
Packaged: 2018-10-15 02:28:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10548508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laconicisms/pseuds/maybemalapert
Summary: Dan goes back on a promise, Trixie has a breakdown, Chloe almost has a breakdown, and Lucifer puts his foot in his mouth.Somehow things turn out alright.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks go to [geckoholic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/geckoholic/pseuds/geckoholic) for the beta!
> 
> Both title and the ending lines are from the song "He's a Tramp" by Peggy Lee, which is from one of my favourite Disney movies ever: [The Lady and Tramp](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhJcyrkfjQg).

If she could be certain of one thing, it was that there'd never really be a reason for Lucifer to pose his trademark question to her daughter, because Trixie was never shy when it came to saying what she wanted. And if she could be sure of another thing, it was that after today, he'd stop himself out of sheer self-preservation.

\--

During the times when she was feeling at peace about herself, Chloe Decker thought she was an okay mom. Not too strict, not too laissez-faire. A strong presence in her child's life, but not overwhelming. Admittedly, there were things she could have handled better in the past, and many more of those would creep up on her in the future, for sure, but she didn't think she'd ever truly fucked up when it came to parenting decisions.

However, if there was one thing she worried about, it was her failing marriage and how it affected Trixie. She was careful not to voice her frustrations over Dan in her daughter's presence (and was pretty confident that he was trying to do the same), but every once in a while her restraint was severely tested.

Like when he reneged on an agreement.

Specifically the kind her daughter had been looking forward to for months.

And if that weren't bad enough, he bowed out of it less than 24 hours before they were meant to set off, thereby conveniently leaving it to Chloe to break the news to their 8-year-old daughter, who had been anticipating a family trip to Disneyland for her birthday _, for months_.

She should have made Dan explain his absence, somehow, but no, he was _unavailable because of a time sensitive operation_ and _the lieutenant is riding my ass hard_ and _I'm not likely to be back before Sunday, I'm sorry, Chloe,_ and she understood that he was at the bottom of the totem pole, that he had to work hard to get back into the lieutenant's good graces, that he had a duty to his job.

But he also had a duty to his child.

It had come as a surprise to no one that Trixie did not take the news well at all, and by the time Lucifer strode into Maze's and her apartment like he owned it (her partner entered every place as if he owned it), Trixie was having a full blown meltdown, hiccupping and crying into the couch cushions, and Chloe, sitting in the armchair and all but pulling her hair out with frustration and anger and heartache, was about ready to join her.

Would have, probably, if Lucifer hadn't come in at that moment, already halfway through a greeting that did, as always, not include an apology nor an explanation for him picking the lock on her door as if there were no perfectly functioning bell, and did every man in her life just do whatever he wanted?

He stopped short a few feet from where Trixie was still drenching the upholstery with her tears and said the most obvious thing anyone could have said: "Detective, your offspring is crying."

Chloe wasn't quite sure what went on with her face muscles at that point, but they apparently gave him a very clear message because his eyes went wide and he quickly amended it to, " _Why_ is your offspring crying?"

"Lucifer?" Trixie lifted her head, staring at Chloe's partner with a tear- and snot-stained face for hardly more than a second before catapulting herself off the couch and launching herself at his leg.

Really, he'd had no chance.

Also, karma, and all that.

Lucifer spluttered for a moment -- _suit, Armani, ruined,_ and something about _training children out of this behaviour_ \-- before he awkwardly started petting Trixie's head as a fresh wave of tears burst forth.

A rabbit could not have looked more terrified in front of a snake.

"Ah, there, there?"

Her partner's eyes sought hers. There was a muted plea for help, which she chose to ignore because no one had helped _her_ and, also, there was no help. It wasn't like he could make Dan stop being an ass, and, furthermore, he did not need more ammunition in his ongoing feud with her ex.

Of course, Chloe had entirely forgotten that her daughter had no such compunctions, and she chose that very moment to voice her complaints.

"Lucifer, Da- Daddy's broken his promise!"

The change in Lucifer's demeanor was almost instantaneous, and Chloe suddenly remembered how much he cared about keeping his word. And how dangerous he could be when he thought someone had committed an offense worth of letting the proverbial devil out.

"Did he now." Stony face, cold voice, but Trixie didn't notice. She was nodding, face still pressed against him.

There was definitely snot on his pants leg now, but he no longer seemed to care.

"And what did he promise you, little one?"

"Disney!" Trixie wailed, her tiny hands crinkling the fabric -- satin, worth much, _much_ more than the tickets they'd already bought -- between her fingers. "He said he'd come with us to Disney!"

A confused frown appeared on his face and he opened his mouth, and Chloe knew with absolute certainty that whatever he was about to say would be something typical Luciferish, and dear god, no.

Frantically gesticulating for him to shut up did exactly nothing because when had it ever.

"If he broke his promise, why do you even want him with you?" he asked her 8-year-old child, who was missing her dad. "You should be glad he's not along."

Chloe dropped her face into her hands.

A second later, she fervently wished she'd covered her ears instead.

\--

This was how Lucifer Morningstar suddenly, and very much to his own bewilderment, discovered himself to be in the doghouse with her daughter and at a complete loss as to how to appease someone who wasn't even old enough to drive a car yet. If Chloe's heart hadn't been hurting for Trixie -- what was it with men and their inability to put the needs of others before their own -- she'd have thoroughly been enjoying the next half hour as Lucifer tried to fix his mistake, with varying results.

Attempts at bribery worked, in a sense. (Trixie stopped crying loud enough to wake the dead and glared, instead.)

Asking why she'd been wailing like a banshee after a perfectly reasonable question naturally made things worse. (Trixie ran into her room and slammed the door.)

An actual apology followed, directed at the closed door, and no, he still didn't understand what he was apologizing for, but he admitted that he must have said something wrong, and _that_ had said door opening a crack. The self-professed devil -- arrogant, egotistical, and _prideful_ \-- incredibly, dropped to one knee, so he wouldn't loom over her as many adults did, showing once more that under all that dick-ish exterior there was a genuinely good person buried deep. Very deep, Chloe knew, but showing up more and more often.

"I'm sorry, Beatrice."

Trixie sniffled, face still scrunched in a frown, but she pulled the door open further, leaning her head against the frame.

Chloe decided to help. "Monkey, you know that Lucifer means well, even if he's a bit of an idiot."

He turned to gape at her. "I'm most certainly--"

"I know." Trixie bit her lip. "But that wasn't very nice of him."

"The devil isn't supposed to be nice," Lucifer exclaimed.

The devil wasn't supposed to hang around L.A., either, drinking whiskey and solving murders, she wanted to reply but held herself back at the expression on her daughter's face. Trixie looked as if she was coming to some sort of conclusion.

"That's true," her daughter finally said, "but you've also been nice before, so you _can_ do it."

"Well, yes," Lucifer said, slowly, as if sensing a trap that was, in fact, very definitely there. "But--"

"And if you can do it," Trixie interrupted, "but you don't do it, that means you don't want to do it."

She paused for a beat, her eyes clearly saying that she was waiting for Lucifer to either dig his grave deeper (and be the second adult to completely disappoint her today) or to fess up to the fact that he did, actually, like her.

Thankfully, even as emotionally stunted as he was, Lucifer picked up on it.

With a pained groan and looking as if he'd rather go to hell (or church, maybe), Lucifer mumbled, "I was being an idiot."

"Yes, you were," Trixie said imperiously, straightening from her slouch. Her hand loosened the grip she still had on the door, sliding across it until the tips of her fingers found the edge of the, by now, severely beaten "no boys allowed" sign. She stared at it for a few seconds, specifically -- if Chloe were any judge -- at the 'except Lucifer' portion, then nodded sharply to herself.

There was a not-very-subtle challenge in her tone, when she added, "but you can make it up to me."

\--

They already had tickets for three. The only thing Lucifer had to bring was himself, as Chloe told him.

Of course, he turned that into a come-on.

She did not mind as much as she pretended to.

\--

Her initial idea had been for her and Trixie to pick up Lucifer at his club, but that would have meant driving in the opposite direction of Anaheim, only to turn around again. Her second idea had been for Lucifer to show up at their front door at six-thirty-ish on Saturday morning, so that they'd have plenty of time to arrive before the park officially opened. If Google was to be believed, Disneyland often let in people early, so being on time would pay out and give them the whole day to spend at the park.

They stuck with the latter part, but through clever manoeuvring and with plenty help from her daughter, it was decided that Lucifer would spend the night at their place.

However, even if she couldn't win with regards to the travel plans, Chloe put her foot down when it came to the sleeping arrangements. There was no way, they were going to share a bed, that was just asking for trouble. (She didn't say that last part out loud.) He would have to make do with the couch. Yes, even if it was too small for his _'considerable size'_.

Luck was somewhat on Lucifer's side. Maze was going to spend this night in someone else's bed, and so he was able to use hers instead.

And yet, he still looked like a kicked puppy when Chloe said goodnight and firmly closed the door to her own bedroom in his face.

She didn't fall asleep right away, and she doubted he did either, his normal bedtime being way, way later than 11 pm and involving a lot more sex and booze and _toys_ , probably, like the ones in Maze's room. A voice in the back of her head that had a very obvious British accent commented that he was someone who first needed to 'exhaust' himself -- eyebrow wriggle -- before he could nod off.

So, he was probably awake. Unless, of course, he was one of those people who were oblivious to the world as soon as their head hit a pillow.

She doubted it.

She also really needed to stop thinking about what he was doing or not doing in her apartment and focus on lulling herself to sleep. No sheep counting for her, though -- had that ever worked for anyone? She really needed her mind not to conjure up images of anything, least of all the man not-sleeping one room over.

_Stop right there, Chloe._

She concentrated on her breathing, slowing it to a steady rhythm of 4-7-8.

It still took far too long for her overactive mind to allow her some rest.

\--

Breakfast found Chloe bleary-eyed and with a headache, watching in envy as her daughter bounced around in her seat while Lucifer, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, in a fresh suit he'd picked up from his apartment the evening before, deposited one omelette after another on her table. Apparently, he hadn't had any trouble falling asleep.

The dick.

Trixie's own crying-induced headache and her general discontent had been treated with copious amounts of water and a piece of chocolate cake yesterday, and she was talking excitedly about all the things they absolutely needed to do and see today.

A yawn threatened to split Chloe's face in two. When she opened her eyes again, Lucifer was smirking at her from across the table.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Chloe gave a non-committal grunt.

"Was it thoughts of me that kept you awake, my dear?"

_Yes._

She was too tired and grumpy to use her typical tactic of leaning in as bait and then pulling out the proverbial switch. "No, it was your snoring that kept me awake," she grumbled instead, before stuffing her mouth full of omelette and regretting both a moment later.

The omelette was so delicious, it needed to be savoured.

Lucifer snorted. "If anyone snores, it's you, Detective." He leaned forward. "Remember, I would know."

Trixie chose that moment to pay attention to their conversation. "How do you know that mommy snores?"

"Well," Lucifer began, smirk widening. "You see--"

"Mommy fell asleep in Lucifer's apartment once, monkey," she quickly put in. "That's all."

Trixie looked as if she were going to pursue that line of investigation, proving that she was the daughter of two detectives and had probably inherited her mother's instincts for _details omitted_.

"Now have you told Lucifer where we're going to have dinner, yet?" Chloe asked brightly, aiming a small kick at Lucifer's shin under the table while keeping her focus on her daughter. From the corner of her eye, she saw him wince a bit before a peculiar expression settled on his face, similar to the one he'd worn after she'd slapped him in the lift, but not _quite_ the same.

Trixie shook her head, then turned to regale Lucifer with the details of Goofy's Kitchen.

Relieved that the distraction proved to be effective, Chloe returned to her breakfast. It wasn't that anything had happened in his apartment, but she didn't want to explain that she had been falling down drunk and why she'd gotten that smashed in the first--

Something was touching her leg, moving up from her ankle to her knee, pausing before--

_"And maybe Goofy will even sit at the table with--"_

Chloe clamped her knees together, catching his foot, even as her heart did a little skip-jump.

_"--but it's okay if he doesn't --"_

He was getting to her like this more and more often.

It was, definitely, not as unwelcome as it had been in the past.

Nevertheless, she glared at him, narrowing her eyes as he mouthed something at her. It took her a moment to decipher, _Turnabout is fair play, Detective._

Her glare intensified. It was really inappropriate to do this with Trixie at the table with them, but then again _really inappropriate_ was basically his middle name.

He tugged a little; she tightened her hold.

_"--and I'm gonna try all the desserts--"_

"Wrong muscle group and appendage, Detective, but we can work on that."

"If you keep talking, that _appendage_ will get the same treatment as this omelette," she said, then stabbed her food with her fork.

Lucifer winced.

_"--you should, too--"_

Three seconds later, she regretted her words.

"Don't say it," she mumbled around the fork.

"Why would I say anything about that _big_ , _hot_ bite of omelette going into your mouth?"

God, she'd really set herself up for this, hadn't she.

\--

They used the drive down the I5 to put themselves in a sufficiently Disney-ish mood by listening to Trixie's _Disney's Greatest Hits_ CDs. Lucifer completely surprised her by singing along to one or two of the songs, specifically the one sung by the Djinn in _Aladdin_ and another jazzy number from _The Lady and The Tramp_.

Though considering some of the lyrics, maybe it shouldn't have surprised her as much. Had Disney songs always been a bit dirty or was that just the company she was keeping _rubbing off on her like so_?

Regardless, Trixie was absolutely delighted that Lucifer apparently had an affinity for Disney, as well, and then became utterly horrified when he revealed that he hadn't actually seen any of the movies.

"But how do you know the songs?"

Chloe saw him shrug from the corner of her eyes. "Peggy Lee, Best of album? And," he paused for a moment, clearly trying to remember where he'd heard _Friend Like Me_. "Oh! Right. Dear Jonathan sang the other one during RP night."

"What's RP?"

_Shit._

"That's--"

"It's when you pretend to be someone else, moppet," Chloe quickly interrupted whatever explanation her partner was going to offer up. "Like a character from a movie."

"Cool. Me and Lily do that too! But usually with Sailor Moon," Trixie said excitedly. "You could join us next time."

As Lucifer coughed, Chloe had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at the mental picture.

"Ah, that's a generous offer, but--"

"You need to watch the episodes first, of--"

"But," Lucifer cut in rather desperately, "I'm afraid I'm not much good at 'playing pretend'."

"You said you were playing 'RP', though."

"I didn't say I was good at it, however."

Chloe could hear her daughter harrumph from the backseat.

"Most adults aren't," she said with a sigh, and Lucifer relaxed slightly.

"We can teach you, though," she added brightly. "Practice makes perfect!"

" _Detective._ " Chloe cast a quick glance to the side. Never in her life had a man looked at her with such desperation.

She decided to take pity on him.

"Lucifer is a very busy man, monkey. I'm sure he'd love to play with you, but he doesn't really have the time to watch Sailor Moon."

"But it's fun!"

"Not everyone has the same idea of fun, Trixie. I know that you and Lily disagree on which of the _Gems_ is the best." Might as well expound on this teaching moment. "And that's okay," she added. "You're still friends despite that, right?"

"I guess," her daughter sighed mournfully, conceding the point. It was time to distract her from this train of thought before she got into a funk.

"We're all going to have fun at Disneyland, however. Right?"

"Right," Trixie agreed, sounding more cheerful.

\--

They made it to the park just as the gates opened. Trixie was clutching Lucifer's hand, dragging him along behind her like a particularly excited miniature draft horse (Lucifer's words). Through the stone arch they went, entering the world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy. Trixie stomped right past "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" -- she'd never had much interest in American history, which elementary school kid did? -- pausing for a moment to orient herself, before heading straight down Main Street.

Which...was exactly the direction they had to go to get to their first Trixie-mandated stop: the Astro Orbiter. (Later, by their third stop, Chloe's distinct impression that her daughter had _memorized_ the layout of the park became an iron-cast conviction.) The line, thankfully, wasn't quite as long as it would undoubtedly be later in the day, but the small delay still had her daughter huffing and puffing.

She was not looking forward to the longer waiting times later on, fastpasses or no.

Especially since she didn't only have to contend with Trixie, but also her partner, whose virtues did under no circumstance include patience.

(He'd probably say that he had no virtues.)

(He would be wrong.)

When it was finally their turn, Lucifer helped first her and then Trixie into the small spaceship, before stepping back behind the fence. Proving that he lived to confound her, he remained an absolute gentleman while he gave her a hand, providing a sharp contrast to the last guy who'd helped her into a ride. That had been before Dan, when the fallout from _Hot Tub High School_ had just really started to hit her. Andrew had been copping a feel whenever he got the chance, clearly expecting her to be fine with it -- or just not caring whether she was. (She'd dropped him as fast as she could.)

After the Orbiter, the three of them went on what felt like every ride in Tomorrowland, including Star Tours (the droids were very cute) and Space Mountain, which, they all agreed, was far more thrilling than the Orbiter.

Chloe was just stumped that her daughter seemed to be so into spacecraft and aliens. She didn't know how she'd missed that.

If Lucifer hadn't insisted that it was his treat, because he hadn't gotten Trixie a proper birthday present, she'd have had to spend all the money she'd allotted to merchandise in this section. As it was, they were carrying _a lot_ of stuff, not least of all two toy lightsabers. One for Trixie and one for Lucifer. Chloe really didn't want to know what he was going to use his for.

Nope.

Seeing as how he was partially (mostly) to blame, she sent Lucifer to the car to unload their things while she and Trixie were waiting in line for Nemo's Sub. Despite the long line of people, he ended up missing that one, which wasn't a great loss. Trixie enjoyed it, but Chloe herself found it a little lacklustre and she doubted Lucifer would have been any more entertained.

As the day progressed, the lines kept getting longer, and even though they were using the fastpass system, they still spent a lot of time simply waiting. Fully expecting having to deal with two bored children, she had come prepared with a pack of cards, though they were somewhat limited in choice of games because of a lack of surface to put the cards on. Mostly, though, they passed the time taking pictures, entertaining themselves with Candy Crush (Lucifer and Trixie, on their respective phones, while Chloe read the news on her own) or playing Sherlock Holmes by trying to guess what the other visitors at the park did for a living and various other details of their lives. (Lucifer's theories tended to be the most lurid and she had to step on his toes more than once to keep him from expounding on what everyone enjoyed in the bedroom.)

They broke for lunch at the Galactic Grill, where they shared a Star Wars themed meal consisting of the Jedi Order Chicken Sandwich (Chloe), First Order Specialty Burger (Lucifer), and ATST Chicken Walker Nuggets (Trixie - and Lucifer, who stole one from her plate. Trixie graciously forgave him after he bought her chocolate milk. Chloe had insisted on paying for their actual meals herself).

Chloe had picked out a couple of more leisurely things for their after lunch activities, so no one would get ill. First, a walk to and through Sleeping Beauty's Castle, with the obligatory photo of the three of them taken by a helpful Canadian tourist. Then the Storybook boat ride, which had the added advantage that the proximity to water cooled the air notably. Chloe had to jam her elbow into Lucifer's side a couple of times, so he wouldn't interrupt the tour guide who was rattling off as much information as he could in the five or six minutes the whole ride took. ("There is no way he could make this any less entertaining." - "Hush." - "I know far better stories." - "Lucifer, no.").

As the temperatures climbed, the three of them were alternatively hot and just a bit grouchy (while waiting in line) or moderately cool and enjoying themselves since Chloe had decided to go on all the water rides in the afternoon. Well, Trixie and her were hot, Lucifer didn't seem to sweat at all, which -- come to think of it -- he never seemed to have.

It was maddening.

"What's your secret?" she grumbled as they climbed into the log, her at the front, then Trixie, then Lucifer.

"I have many secrets, Detective," he replied, leaning forward as much as possible while she twisted to look back at him.

"She means, why don't you sweat," Trixie piped up from in between them, fully aware of her mother's previous grumbling.

"Because I'm the devil, of course."

Of course.

"That makes sense," Trixie said. "Or it could be because you're a magician."

Lucifer chuckled. "Or it could be that."

There was no way that there was some kind of parlour trick to control perspiration. She sighed, and put that observation in her little mental box of 'just impossible Lucifer things', which was getting kind of big.

The log shuddered a little and Chloe turned back to face the front. Splash Mountain was one of her favourite rides in the park, and it made her happy that she could share it with her daughter.

And her partner.

Anticipation built up in her stomach as the log began the first part of its trek, moving slowly through a fake desert landscape, before pausing, just a moment, at the edge of the first drop.

The log moved, and her heart jumped. A small sense of vertigo--

Someone squealing.

And then she was getting splashed by water.

"You okay, monkey?" she shouted over her shoulder. Her daughter yelled back an affirmative, sounding as exhilarated as Chloe felt.

"I'm fine, too," Lucifer yelled from the back, because never could stand being ignored. Chloe rolled her eyes, still grinning.

"I didn't expect anything else," she shouted back.

They entered the indoor portion, and Chloe leaned back to enjoy it. She kept an ear out, in case Trixie developed a sudden fear of the dark -- unlikely, but you never knew -- but otherwise let the atmosphere and the music wash over her.

"This whole singing birds bit is a tad disturbing," Lucifer yelled from the back, as they went past the vultures.

"Scared?" She yelled back, not bothering to turn around. On her left, she could see the rabbit bound in ropes.

She imagined she heard Lucifer huff.

"Hard--" the rest of his reply was lost in a high-pitched shout as they went down the big drop. Chloe screamed a little herself, getting a bit of water in her mouth -- yuk -- but it turned to laughter as the log evened out.

"Trixie?"

"I'm fine, mom!"

"Lucifer?"

Despite the relative quietness of the last stretch of the ride, she couldn't hear his reply.

Trixie could.

"He says he bit his tongue and that it hurts. And that he must sobconshously be a massokist to hang out with you." She paused, and Chloe could almost hear the question before it passed her lips.

Sighing inwardly, she cut to the chase. "A masochist is a person who likes getting hurt, monkey."

"Well, that's dumb," Trixie decided. "Who likes getting hurt?"

"Me, apparently," Lucifer groused from behind.

Chloe coughed, the adrenaline still coursing through her body now joined by ... serotonin?

Something that made her feel warm inside, anyway.

Chloe smiled for the last couple of yards to the end of the ride. Even Lucifer's remark about finally getting her wet -- her t-shirt was sticking to her body from where the water had doused her -- didn't manage to darken her good mood in the slightest.

It did, however, make her juuuust a tiny bit more gleeful when they finally stood in front the snapshot screens.

"We're getting this picture," Chloe declared, staring at the photo taken as she, Trixie and Lucifer were rushing down the final drop.

His face was priceless.

He'd probably just bitten his tongue.

"Detective!" Lucifer whined.

Still feeling a little punch-drunk, Chloe leaned in, going to her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. "Guess that makes me the sadist to your masochist." He tensed a little, and she took a step back to get a proper look at his face.

He was looking… vulnerable, like she'd hit too close to a truth. The expression vanished quickly though, and then he leered at her.

"Well, I'm up for it if you're up for it, Detective."

Lightly punching his shoulder, because that was what he expected, and yes she was absolutely setting herself up for another comment along those lines, Chloe turned, only to find Trixie aiming her phone at them. She made a mental note to get a hold of the image later.

"Oooh," Lucifer moaned behind her, "harder. Please."

And there it was.

\--

By the time they were due at _Goofy's Kitchen_ for their dinner reservation, Chloe was utterly exhausted, and even Mr. Lucifer -- "I am not from this world and have _tremendous stamina_ , insert lascivious remark here" -- Morningstar looked like he was flagging.

Her daughter was still going full steam ahead.

No, if anyone had otherworldly energy levels it was Trixie Decker.

Lucifer seemed to feel the same. "Are you sure that she is human?"

"Pretty much," Chloe groaned, collapsing into her chair. "I mean, I don't think Dan's from Krypton."

Slumped into his own chair, Lucifer huffed. "Of course, he isn't."

Right. It was her he'd suspected of not being an ordinary human being. She was still baffled by that.

Lunch not having been that long ago, neither Chloe nor Trixie were overly hungry, which was a good thing considering the exorbitant prices. They decided to share a pizza between them, which would leave ample room for dessert, Trixie's favourite part of any meal.

Rather unexpectedly, she didn't go for the cake ("Disneyland is _special_ , mom."), but for a sundae glass filled with chocolate pudding, Oreo cookie crumbles, and gummy worms, whose name was entirely fitting: Worms and Dirt.

"Appetizing, if you are a hog," was Lucifer's verdict. Trixie beamed and oinked at him.

While they were eating, a handful of characters were making their rounds. They seemed a bit rushed, but by the end of their meal, she had a very cute photo of Goofy hugging her daughter and another one of Trixie and Lucifer posing with Pluto, and she would _treasure it for life_.  

Probably pulling it out every once in a while to enjoy her partner's pained expression. (He was obviously trying to smile for Trixie, but it looked more like he was baring his teeth.)

Prime blackmail material right there, and she was not above using it at some point to get something from him.

Alternatively, she could use it as a bartering chip with Maze.

Possibly as revenge for that trick on her that he'd been responsible for during tribe night.

Maybe she should just post it on facebook.

She'd see.

\--

Chloe had tentatively put the evening lightshow and fireworks into their schedule, half expecting to skip out on that if Trixie was too tired by 9.30. Seeing the show did mean staying up past her bedtime, even if she didn't factor in the drive back. However -- and she really should have realized -- this was actually an incentive for her daughter to keep going until she dropped.

So here they were, standing in front of the castle and craning their necks as the first musical notes rose, surrounded by a crowd of equally fascinated onlookers. Lucifer's strange charisma meant that people kept a bit of distance, giving them air to breathe and enjoy the show.

Nonetheless, Lucifer was holding Trixie, so that she wouldn't get stepped on -- a danger anyway if you had just only hit four feet, but especially when everyone was looking upwards.

There was a collective _ooh_ as the first sparkling flowers burst into the sky. Chloe stared, leaning a little closer to Lucifer as she shivered in the colder evening air. Before she knew it, there was an arm wrapped around her, and she could feel Lucifer's intake of breath as he prepared to speak.

"No comment about sharing body heat," she said and felt the vibrations as he chuckled.

"As you wish."

The show did not take that long, just about a quarter of an hour, but somehow she found herself all but snuggling up against him by the end of it. He was warm, so sue her, and he smelled good, and just...being held made her feel. Something.

She let the thought go, determined to simply enjoy this night.

The last four lights shot up into the sky, eliciting another appreciative sound from the audience, and then it was over.

Chloe straightened reluctantly, casting a glance at her daughter who was hogging the other half of her partner. She was barely conscious, keeping her eyes open through sheer amount of will.

Lucifer conceded to carry Trixie to the car with an air of exasperation and put-uponness that rang wholly false. She fell asleep on the way, barely stirring as he put her into the backseat. Chloe leaned past him to fasten the seatbelt -- something he seemed to need constant reminders of, no matter if it was him or someone else.

She closed the door as quietly as she could before they got in at the front.

"Thank you," she said, fastening her own seat belt and nodding to Lucifer to do the same. He huffed out a breath, but complied.

"She's not _that_ heavy."

Unsure if this was an evasion -- he could be so strange about some things -- or if he honestly didn't understand, Chloe decided to clarify. "I meant for today."

He was quiet for a moment. "Be assured it was no hardship." He cleared his throat. "I… enjoyed it."

Chloe bit her lip to keep from smiling, her heart fluttering a little. He was clearly a bit uncomfortable with admitting this, so she turned away, putting the key into the ignition and starting the car.

"I think I can speak for Trixie that so did we," she replied, pretending to focus all of her attention on navigating her way out of the parking lot.

Then, the darkness inside the car making her feel a bit bolder than usual, she added quietly, "So did I."

\--

In all the hustle and bustle that the next case brought, she hadn't had the time to take a look at the photo the tourist had taken of all three of them with the iconic castle in the background, nor at all the ones her daughter had apparently taken with her smartphone when she hadn't been looking. She'd noticed Trixie taking some, of course, but there were a lot more than she had expected.

"There's a lot," she said out loud, raising her eyebrows as she looked up from the device and towards her daughter.

Trixie shrugged and looked away.

"Any reason you went wild with the camera function?"

Her daughter shrugged again. "Nah."

Right.

Giving up for the moment, though resolving to touch upon this again, Chloe turned back to the images on the phone.

The one in front of the castle was a typical family at a theme park photo (family, _family_?): Trixie beaming, her own more understated smile, eyes scrunched together because of the glare of the sun, and Lucifer...looking at the two of them, instead of the camera.

It was that one and the pictures taken by her daughter that did something funny to Chloe's insides. Not all of them. Some were random shots of attractions, people, bushes, and, oddly a trash can (why?). Others were just genuinely bad, including one that was mostly just Trixie's finger over the lense. But there were also three or four that were…

The one Trixie took at Splash Mountain: Chloe leaning in, mischief in her eyes. Lucifer appearing kind of pole-axed.

Then two others: In one, Lucifer was looking at her, not as if he wanted to jump her bones, but as if he genuinely cared.

 _Of course, he cares, Decker. And don't be a coward; that's not simple_ care.

No, it was something much more than that.

And in the other… Christ, was she really looking at him like that, too?

Yes, yes, she was.

Both of them with the same expression, whenever the other wasn't looking. Well, at least, she wasn't the only one being a chickenshit.

She also wasn't the only one who _cared_ that deeply.

Chloe became aware that her daughter was still sitting next to her, was, in fact, staring at her and wearing a look that was asking a very definite question, even if the details of what that thing entailed -- aside from dinners and dates and evenings spent on the couch, together -- would not be something she'd visit with her daughter for a few years yet.

There was no doubt she, and Lucifer, had Trixie's approval.

And, if she were entirely honest, she wanted that. Wanted a relationship with her partner.

Well.

Picking up her own phone and speed-dialing Lucifer's number, Chloe decided to take a leaf out of her daughter's book and, for once, not be shy about asking for what she desired.

  


_He's a tramp, he's a rover_

_And there's nothing more to say._

_If he's a tramp, he's a good one_

_And I wish that I could travel his way._


End file.
